Sand bed river dynamics controlling microplastic flux

Beaumont, Hazel; Ockelford, Annie; Morris-Simpson, Phill

Abstract

Microplastic contamination of river sediments has been found to be pervasive at the global scale and responsive to plastic and sediment bed properties, the flow regime and the river morphology. The physical controls governing the storage, remobilization and pathways of transfer in sand bed rivers remain unquantified. This means it is not currently possible to determine the risks posed by microplastic contamination within these globally significant river systems. Using controlled flume experiments we show that sand bed rivers can store up to 40% of their microplastic load within the sediment bed indicating that these environments can act as resilient sinks of microplastics. By linking bedform dynamics with microplastic transport characteristics we show that similarities exist between granular transport phenomena and the behavior, and hence predictability, of microplastic flux. Specifically, we demonstrate the inverse relationship between bedform celerity and microplastic retention within the bed can be used to predict microplastic flux. Further, we show that, in these environments, microplastic shape is more important than previously thought in controlling the fate of microplastics. Together, these findings are significant since they have important implications for the prediction and hence management of microplastic contamination in sand bed environments.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 22, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Nov 27, 2024
• Publication Date: Nov 27, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 27, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 29, 2024
• Electronic ISSN: 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Research (part of Springer Nature)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Article Number: 29420
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80892-3
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13467577